Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls “didn’t play anybody” during 6-championship run, says ex-Lakers trainer

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LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls (L) eyes the basket as he is guarded by Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers during their 01 February game in Los Angeles, CA. Jordan will appear in his 12th NBA All-Star game 08 February while Bryant will make his first All-Star appearance. The Lakers won the game 112-87. AFP PHOTO/Vince BUCCI (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images)

Ex-Lakers trainer, Gary Vitti talked Lakers, MJ & more with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson via Scoop B Radio. Press Play Below To Listen!

The Chicago Bulls ran the NBA in the 90s.

Coached by Phil Jackson, were headlined by Michael Jordan and throughout their runs were headlined by All-Stars, Scottie Pippen Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman.

From 1991-1998, the Bulls won six NBA championships beating the NBA Western Conference elite: the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Seattle Sonics and the Utah Jazz (twice).

Apparently Michael and the Bulls had it a bit easy. Appearing on the Scoop B Radio Podcast, ex-Lakers trainer, Gary Vitti, says that Michael and the Bulls “didn’t play anybody.”

“I love Michael and respect him but I am not sure Michael changed the game as much as the game changed, which allowed Michael to be Michael,” Gary Vitti told me on Scoop B Radio.

Vitti has been part of 12 Lakers trips to the NBA Finals as the team’s head athletic trainer. Vitti began with the Lakers in 1984 while Pat Riley was head coach.

During his Lakers tenure, he’s been around all of the names! Think  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, think Magic Johnson, think James Worthy. Just don’t forget Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, though!

Vitti also weighed in on Michael Jordan as the Greatest Of All Time “So when Michael got his first ring in ‘91 and the 5 that came after it, there wasn’t anybody left,” said Vitti.

“The Lakers were done because Kareem had retired and then Magic [Johnson] came up 0 positive for HIV in ‘91. So he wasn’t challenged again by the great Laker team, the ones that because Kareem had already retired before ‘91, so he wasn’t part of that series against I don’t know what they would have done.”

Vitti added:

“They had Luke Longley, they had Bill Levingston; I mean what were they going to do with Kareem? So he didn’t play the Lakers, the Celtics got old very very fast. Bird, Parish and McHale all got old at the same time, so the Celtics were done.”

So what does this all mean?

“There was no challenge there and the Pistons were done, so basically when you really look at the six rings that the Bulls won, they didn’t play anybody,” said Vitti.

“They didn’t play any of the championship caliber teams of the 80s like the Lakers, the Sixers, the Celtics and the Pistons. All four of those teams had basically had their run and it was over and so its not taking anything away from him because he did what he was supposed to do. He dominated, but the game wasn’t the same game, it was different.”

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